Obama Edges Closer to Nomination

Sen. Barack Obama’s big Wisconsin win makes him all but unstoppable: on delegates, on momentum, on turnout. His inroads into Sen. Hillary Clinton’s base among women and low-income voters, while retaining his own, show his broadinging appeal. He won in a nearly all-white state. His vote totals swamped likely GOP nominee John McCain’s by 3 to 1.

Top campaign experts had said if Clinton could hold Obama to single digits, she stays alive going into the big March 4 primaries in Ohio and Texas. If not, well…polls in Texas and Ohio already show Clinton’s lead narrowing sharply. Machinations over super delegates will fade into oblivion as party leaders and institutions rally around a winner.

Both rivals had sharpened their attacks and populist rhetoric while rolling out costly new economic plans. Both campaigned heavily in Wisconsin to try to thwart the other in the decisive contests coming up.

Now that he is the frontrunner, Obama can expect heavier media scrutiny and sharper attacks from Clinton and likely GOP nominee Sen. John McCain.

McCain previewed his coming attacks. He derided “empty but eloquent calls for change.” The 71-year-old candidate said, “I’m not the youngest candidate, but I am the most experienced.” Obama was born in 1961; McCain in 1936.

McCain emphasized national security, his presumed strong suit, and downplayed the economy, his admitted weak one.

Obama lashed out at “the same old folks doing the same old thing, making the same old mistakes over and over again.”

He also told Texans — and independents and Obamacans — that he believes in a free market economy and embraces globalization and trade: “We are an independent people, we are a self reliant people, indeed we don’t rely on government doing what we can do for ourselves.”

Then he pivoted back to Democrats: “But when we have CEO’s making more in 10 minutes what ordinary workers make in a year, and CEO’s are getting a tax break and workers are left with nothing, then something is wrong and that has to change.”

Clinton, speaking in Youngstown, Ohio in a voice still hoarse, pleaded that the election “is about picking a president who relies not just on words, but on work, on hard work, to get America back to work.” So far, it’s not working.